After days and days of unsuccessful experiments I came up with the writing on the glass bottle with an oil based paint pen. Sharpie makes them, although they’re hard to find, or you can steal industrial ones from your boyfriend/husband/wife/girlfriend/. I’m guessing your child doesn’t have one, because if they did they’d have written on something very important with it by now and we’d all be mourning the day you sent your kid to boarding school.

So. When I did that post I explained that you had to be careful when pouring the salad dressing because although the paint pen wouldn’t wash off with soap and water, or even in the dishwasher, it WOULD wash off if it got oil on it. In other words, it mostly worked, but not completely. Like freezing leftover birthday cake so you won’t eat it all, but then you just go into the freezer and scoop off all of the icing until 3 days later you have a bald sheet cake.

It was an experiment in progress.

Well didn’t clever reader Valerie suggest using Wite Out to write on the bottles.

I immediately went out and bought Wite Out. Yes, as a matter of fact, they do still sell it. For some bizarre reason.

It’s too clumsy to write on the bottle with it but it’s great for making the measurement line. THEN, you can write the ingredients on the Wite Out with a pen. And THEN … you can wash it with water, soap, oil or vinegar. To clarify, the paint pens do work. You just need to give them a few days to cure before you start making salad dressing in them. But I’m really not one for waiting.

I will be making this recipe tomorrow! I love anything with maple syrup in it.
I’ve used glass etching cream with a paint brush to mark a wine decanter. Perfect for pouring boxed wine into a nicer vessel. I etched marks after measuring out water to 500, 750 and 1000 mls. If you are patient and steady enough, you could maybe etch the ingredients with a fine brush.

Cathy – It’s actually a salad dressing bottle that I’ve resued. Can’t remember the name, but if you buy a ridiculously expensive bottle of salad dressing in a gourmet store or the gourmet section of your grocery store they often come in glass bottles like this. You use the dressing, then reuse the bottle! ~ karen

I was wondering how long that salad dressing last. Do you use it all in one meal? I’m thinking not. If not, then how long does it last for you in the fridge? This is one my hang-ups with diy salad dressing. I can never make a small enough amount for our two adult family (kiddo won’t eat salad, YET) and am hesitant to make a lot because I don’t know how long it lasts. Help!

Hi Manisha – The salad dressing lasts quite a long time in the fridge. There’s nothing in it really to go bad. Dressings with raw egg in it, like Caesar Salad dressing should only be kept for a few days, but the regular dressings like ones made with oil and vinegar will last for weeks in the fridge. ~ karen!

Did you know that if you put all the ingredients in the blender, except for the olive oil, then drizzle the olive oil in while the blender is going…your dressing will emulsify and not separate in that pretty bottle? As long as there is a bit of any mustard in the recipe, it will stay emulsified. Learned that from the Naked Chef. There, now you’re even smarter!
(Unless you prefer your dressing separated, and enjoy shaking your jugs at the dinner table) 😉

Lorrinda – Thanks! I’m going to ruin your day by now telling you I did know that, LOL. O.K., maybe “ruined your day” is a big of an exaggeration. You can do the same thing by slowly drizzling the olive oil LAST and whisking. More work though. I’m O.K. with the shaking if it keeps me from having to wash the blender. ~ karen

This is off subject but you brought it up. Why would I be mourning the sending off of my children to boarding school? And I think they would be just as happy to go. It’s a win-win. Now off to find three of those extra heavy duty markers to give as gifts to my kids.

My husband & I do lazy-make your own. Good Seasons makes a seasoning packet and they sell 3 packs with glass cruet. The cruet has glass formed measuring lines on the side for oil, vinegar, & water. It’s not as fancy as with maple syrup & all but we could adapt one if we get ambitious. Amazon has them (and everything else under the sun, of course). So if you just want the cruet and don’t want to scour 3 goodwill stores till your luck changes, you can just cheat & get one this way.

for those of you who like “french manicures” or just want to try out the french manicure look without having to buy all the different goo gaas to have one, you can use white out for the tips of your nails and then paint over the whole nail with lightish, almost transparent light pink nail polish.
Voila.

I actually HATE white out…get it on a nice shirt and you will drive yourself crazy trying to remove it.
but….like other things in life, it is sometimes the things we hate that can really teach us something.